Michelle Hayford to Lead Arts NC State

Arts NC State is ready to sculpt its future under new leadership. 

University College Interim Senior Associate Dean Tamah Morant recently announced that Michelle Hayford, who brings a wealth of experience in the worlds of both art and higher education, has joined the Wolfpack community. 

“I am thrilled to welcome Michelle to our institution,” said Doneka Scott, Vice Chancellor for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs and Dean of University College. “I am confident that Michelle’s experience and background will be an asset as we continue to enrich the student experience through the arts, serve as an incubator of interdisciplinary scholarship, and engage in impactful, mutually beneficial community partnerships.”

Hayford, who comes to NC State from the University of Dayton, Ohio, is taking leadership of Arts NC State as the program’s new executive director, and will also serve as an associate dean for University College. 

“I have no doubt that Michelle’s innovative approaches to fostering community engagement, combined with her commitment to excellence and interdisciplinary creative scholarship, will strengthen NC State’s reputation as a destination for the performing and visual arts, and artistic exploration,” Morant said. 

Hayford held the position of Program Director for Theatre, Dance and Performance Technology at Dayton since 2014. 

While there, she won a Grand Gold Award for the university’s We Soar campaign video, as well as an original play launching the campaign. She also received a service award from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

“When I read the job description, I felt like it was written for me,” Hayford said. “I felt like somebody had considered my entire career in arts administration and written a job fit to exactly my strengths, and leveraged every arts administration experience I’ve had to create a job that would allow me to further build on those skill sets but also to lead in those areas that I’ve led in at previous institutions.”

Before coming to Dayton, Hayford also held teaching and directing positions at Florida Gulf Coast University and East Stroudsburg University. 

Hayford brings extensive experience in arts education leadership roles to the table, including directing the Common Good Players theatre troupe since 2018. She has also served as a member of the Council on Undergraduate Research, Association for Theatre in Higher Education and as the Ohio State Chair for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

“I was really interested in thinking about the role of the arts at a largely STEM-focused school, where there’s an ethos, understanding and appreciation that the arts are for everyone,” Hayford said. “That has always been a value for me. I believe that the arts are for everyone, and that all students benefit from engaging in the arts while they’re in their college experience. No matter what your major is, I think arts improve your education, whether you’re in audience to the arts or you’re making art, you’re playing an instrument or you’re backstage in a theater production. What you can do in your college career to engage in the arts is only going to enhance your team-building skills, your collaboration skills, your problem-solving skills, it’s just such a great way to really learn by doing.”

Hayford said that NC State’s motto of Think and Do dovetailed perfectly with her experience in arts administration, and her belief in the art’s value in higher education. 

“That’s what the arts are all about,” Hayford said. “We’re the originators of experiential learning. The arts require experiential learning. So the concept of Think and Do is something that we take for granted. To be an institution where I could think about what that means in terms of the arts, and how students, faculty, staff and the community can engage in the arts is really exciting.” 

Hayford’s body of scholarship advocates for the primacy of the arts in a liberal arts education and community-engaged art making, such as “Performing Arts as High-Impact Practice” (Palgrave, 2018).

In her new role, Hayford will have administrative responsibility for the Crafts Center, NC State LIVE, University Theatre and the Gregg Museum of Art & Design. 

As an associate dean, Hayford will serve as an academic leader charged to develop and foster collaborations with departments and units across NC State to advance the arts, identify opportunities to enrich the student experience and support faculty as they engage in teaching and scholarship. Hayford holds an appointment as a Professor of Practice with the Department of Performing Arts and Technology.

“I think that people are ready for more synergy and more connections among the various arts areas, that there’s a desire to think about how we can support one another in our work and by working together, create projects and arts experiences that are actually richer and offer students more ways to engage, and offer our faculty and staff more ways to engage in the arts in interdisciplinary ways,” Hayford said.